The Lensbury Resort

"We visit London in April and October and always stay at The Lensbury. We have been looking forward to this stay since April and have been excited to see the completed refurbishment of the hotel. The hotel is absolutely stunning. It has all been tastefully decorated. We stayed in a Deluxe Double room and it was beautiful, everything was new in the room. The room was always cleaned to a high standard. The only thing I would say is that there’s not a lot of storage for clothes when you stay for 5 nights. There was only a single wardrobe with 6 coat hangers and a side table with one drawer at each side of the bed. The sports bar has an enormous tv on the wall and it’s just so cosy to relax in. We stayed bed and breakfast and the breakfast was fabulous with a good choice of food. All the staff were very friendly."

"The Lensbury Resort is in a beautiful part of our country, with easy links to central London and very easy access to Richmond, the River Thames, Kingston on Thames etc. I think the 'resort' is really just a health club and sports venue with a hotel attached. Our room was OK, the bed was a double, not a King size as we're used to and it was hard. The air conditioning was feeble - I dread to think what it's use was during the very hot summer. Our room overlooked the tennis courts and sadly, the main extraction of the kitchen. There was noise from this extraction/fans 24 hours a day, not nice. We stayed for two nights. Our room was clean and well prepared by housekeeping, but as usual they failed to top up the courtesy tray properly. There was no water in the room, but it did have an empty fridge, an iron and ironing board and a safe. We booked via Secret Escapes for a decent price, given the area. I would not pay full price. I think it has recently had a refurb, the bar and restaurant area are very nice, with plenty of inside and outside seating areas. There is also a small lounge area and a large sports bar. We did not see or use the pool. All food was very good, but the £32 lamb dish I had for dinner was miniscule with two tiny pieces of lamb, one small spoonful of cabbage and two tenderstem broccoli pieces. Just as well we'd ordered another side of potatoes or I'd have been hungry, being as this was my only food since breakfast, this just didn't represent good value in our eyes. But I have to say, all of the food, despite being too little in the case of the lamb, was all very nice, breakfast was nicely cooked and there was a wealth of choice from cooked, cereal, fruit, nuts and juices to pancakes etc. A couple of pubs nearby which were nice given the warm weather we had. On checking out, the receptionist asked if everything was OK, I said the room was noisy - she said nothing, I then asked why she bothered asking if she didn't want to know the details - she said she was just about to - hmmm, I left it there. They only take card payments :( Overall, if you get a 'deal' then go - ask not to overlook the tennis courts, then you might get some peace."

"After approximately six years and thousands of pounds as a member of The Lensbury, I have cancelled my membership because of the lack of meaningful flexibility I experienced while dealing with cancer and serious health complications. For the past five months, I have had very little certainty about my health. I have faced hospitalisation, treatment, complications and recovery, while repeatedly encountering rigid membership deadlines at a time when I simply could not predict how well I would be from one month to the next. This is precisely why I paid more for a Flexible Membership. Yet for five months I found myself trying to fit an unpredictable and serious illness around The Lensbury’s administrative deadlines. When I actually needed flexibility, I found very little. During that time, I continued paying £210 per month despite being medically unable to use the club. An acknowledged administrative error also resulted in £452 being taken instead of £210, requiring a formal complaint and refund. The same inflexibility continued when I eventually cancelled. I had been in hospital and dealing with my cancer and did not have the capacity to ensure my cancellation fitted their deadline. Despite acknowledging my circumstances, The Lensbury has declined to exercise discretion over the final £210 payment. After six years of membership, five months of rigid deadlines while dealing with serious illness was ultimately enough for me. My experience has left me with the clear impression that retaining membership fees took priority over showing flexibility and consideration when I genuinely needed it. I have since joined another local club offering greater flexibility, a more considerate member-focused approach and better facilities. I only wish I had looked elsewhere sooner. If you are considering joining The Lensbury, particularly paying extra for a Flexible Membership, I would strongly recommend researching the local alternatives first."